According to Reuters, a report released on Thursday by the International Energy Agency (IEA) finds that global carbon pollution from energy has reached an alarming record level, posing a substantial threat to climate targets.
The increase is attributed, in part, to increased fossil fuel usage in areas with hydropower constraints owing to droughts.
Contrary to the necessary reduction required to satisfy the Paris Agreement’s climate objectives, carbon dioxide emissions reached an all-time high, rising by 410 million metric tons, or 1.1%, to 37.4 billion metric tons in 2023, according to the IEA estimate.
The expansion of renewable technologies such as wind, solar, and electric cars helped to lower the growth rate of emissions to 1.3% in 2022.
However, factors like as China’s economic openness, increased fossil fuel consumption in areas with inadequate hydropower, and the aviation sector’s resurgence all contributed to an overall increase.
According to the IEA, efforts to compensate for decreased hydropower generation during catastrophic droughts accounted for almost 40% of the increase in emissions, or 170 million tonnes of CO2. The research emphasizes that, without this compensatory effect, global electricity sector emissions would have decreased in 2023.
